Baptisms

The Sacrament of Baptism for infants is celebrated the second and fourth Sunday of each month following the 11:30 am Mass.

Couples expecting their first child or those who have never participated in a pre-baptism program must do so in accordance with diocesan requirements.

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel offers a pre-baptism program or it may be taken at any parish within our diocese.

If you would like more information regarding Baptisms at OLMC, please call the Parish Office at (440) 585-0700 or contact us using the form below.

How to Choose Godparents

The church gives a number of specific criteria for the selection of godparents. “There is to be only one male or one female sponsor or one of each” (Canon 873). In addition, the godparent or sponsor is to be chosen by the person to be baptized if the candidate is an adult, or chosen by the parents if the one to be baptized is an infant or child.

The godparent must have completed the 16th year of age, unless an exception is granted for just cause. Examples of “just cause” would be a person who will be turning 16 in a matter of days or weeks, or a young person who is known to demonstrate an extraordinary piety or level of maturity (Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Clergy Newsletter, Vol. 33, No. 7).

The godparent should also be someone who leads a life of faith in keeping with the function to be taken on; not be bound by any canonical penalties; and not be the father or mother of the child (see Canon 874).

Finally, “a baptized person who belongs to a non-Catholic ecclesial community is not to participate except together with a Catholic sponsor and then only as a witness of the baptism” (Canon 874.5.2). A non-Catholic may serve as a witness to the baptism, but is not officially the godparent, a role that is reserved to Catholics alone.

Mother's Name *

Mother's Name

First Name

Last Name

Father's Name

Father's Name

First Name

Last Name

Child's Name

Child's Name

First Name

Last Name

Child's Date of Birth

Child's Date of Birth

MM

DD

YYYY

Primary Email Address *

Primary Phone Number

Primary Phone Number

(###)

###

####

First child to be baptized?

Yes

No

If so, have you attended a pre-baptism class?

Yes

No

Thank you!

what is baptism

Baptism makes us “members of one another.” Since the time of early Christianity, Baptism has been the rite of initiation into the Christian community of the Church. In Baptism, the “one Spirit” makes us members of the Body of Christ and of “one another” (Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC], no. 1267). Pope John Paul II describes the result of Baptism as a “mystical unity” between Christ and his disciples, and the disciples with one another, like “branches of a single vine.” I The sacraments celebrated by the Church are signs of grace that make a deeper reality present to us. One reality we encounter through the sacraments is Christ’s presence in the Church community, his Body. This recognition of Christ’s presence in the community should lead to a stronger awareness of being sent on mission to engage in love-inspired action in the world. As Pope Benedict XVI notes in Deus Caritas Est (God Is Love), the celebration of the sacraments and the ministry of love are “inseparable.” Love in action, he says, is “an indispensable expression” of the Church’s being (no. 25). This guide focuses on the Sacrament of Baptism, the rite of initiation into the Christian community. As you read, consider the meaning of your own Baptism, your membership in the community, and the mission on which you are sent. Baptism requires us to reject sin and re-assess our values, decisions, and lifestyles. During the Rite of Baptism, we reject sin, renouncing those beliefs, values, and choices that are opposed to Christ. We also reject sinful attitudes that degrade the dignity of others (e.g., racism, sexism, etc.) and practices that prevent other members of our human family from living in dignity (e.g., abortion, policies that hurt the poor, etc.). Baptism calls us to reject death and embrace life and dignity for all. In Baptism, we profess our commitment to the Church’s beliefs, values, and vision. At Baptism, we embrace a unique vision and set of values: those of the community of the Church, whose values prioritize love for God, self, others, and all of creation. The rest of the community also joins in the profession of faith, illustrating that the community is linked across generations, space, and time. Baptism invites us to a vocation of holiness and the practice of charity. In Baptism, we receive a “vocation to holiness,” which is “intimately connected” to our membership in the “Communion of Saints,” which strives to make present the “Kingdom of God in history.” Participation in the Communion of Saints requires a commitment to communion with Christ and “a life of charity” in “this world and in the next” (Christifideles Laici, nos. 17, 19).